Friday favorites vol. 3 [Maui edition]

Published April 28, 2017

Time for another Friday Favorites link-up with Erica, Andrea, and Narci! The theme of this week’s post is our 10 year anniversary trip to Maui.

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My first FAVORITE is this guy. In some ways I can’t believe we’ve been married for 10 years and in other ways I can’t remember what life was like before we met. Though I would’ve told you it wasn’t possible on our wedding day because I loved him with all my heart then, I’m even more in love with him today.

Bright and early, on the plane to San Francisco to catch our connecting flight to Maui!

For our 10 year anniversary, he surprised me with a trip to Maui. He told me in January and let me pick the date so we would have plenty of time to coordinate with work. Of course I picked the week of our actual anniversary because love. <3

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My next FAVORITE is the resort we stayed at in Maui. It is the nicest hotel I’ve stayed at by far. We found it via my favorite travel blogger, Lauren from Aspiring Kennedy.

The staff were all so kind and helpful. The rooms were sparkling clean. The food and drinks were fabulous. I could go on and on, but instead I’ll just share a few photos highlighting why I liked it so much.

The view. This is the view from the lobby. We also had a spectacular view from our room. You could see the ocean and the mountains on the other smaller islands in the distance.Champagne and fruit/cheese tray in our room. A fun way to kick off our first night there. We enjoyed this on our balcony while watching the sun go down. Happy anniversary to us!There were 4 infinity pools and an adult only pool on the other side of the hotel. We also met some of the sweetest couples while on this trip, which was such a blessing!Our hotel had many activities to choose from. We went snorkeling almost every day, outrigger canoeing, kayaking, standup paddle boarding, participated in a hula lesson, etc. This is us after a mixology class where we learned the difference between modern and traditional mai tais. Because it was our 10 year anniversary, they gave us the extra drinks. #score #freedrinks #nomakeup #justcamefromthepool

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All of the relaxing we were able to do is my next FAVORITE. We spent a ton of time laying by the pool reading (for me) and playing games on the iPad (for Mark).

I read, “The Testament” by John Grisham. It came out in 2011, but I’ve never read it before. This is actually the first John Grisham book I’ve read.

For the first time ever on vacation, we also 100% disconnected from work. I’m feeling so refreshed and grateful.

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All of the food and drinks we had in Maui were fabulous. Mark couldn’t get enough fresh pineapple (his FAVORITE), and of course we ordered macadamia nuts on everything when it was an option.

Swordfish at Cuatro. Most delicious fish we’ve ever had.Frozen beverages by the hotel poolCrab loco moco from 808 BistroCinnamon roll with macadamia nuts from The Cinnamon Roll Place. We ordered it to go and ate it in the lounge area of the hotel lobby overlooking the pools and the ocean.Pork nachos and mahi-mahi tacos at The Whale’s Tale.

Speaking of food, I do not recommend weighing yourself the day you return from vacation.

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I must’ve asked my husband at least 5 times on this trip, “Why don’t we live near a beach again?” It’s hard to imagine choosing anything different when it’s so beautiful, making the beach my next FAVORITE.

Turtles on Hookipa Beach. There were so many of them (maybe 30?) in one area that from a distance I thought they were piles of rocks.The water was so clear and beautiful.Surfer in Paia where the big waves are.Checking out the very tiny fish that washed up into small pools of water on the beach. Also, those black lava rocks are sharp!

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On the evening of our anniversary, we went to a luau in Lahaina about an hour from where we were staying.

We sampled several of their signature beverages like the Ka’napali Sunset and the Hula Hulk.The performers were so skilled! Attending the hula lesson earlier that day at our hotel really helped us appreciate the story-telling aspect of hula more than we would have otherwise.So excited to experience this with the love of my life.

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I wanted to check out the road to Hana, but didn’t want to dedicate a full day (or more) to doing so. Luckily our resort offered a guided hike through a bamboo forest on one part of the road to Hana. We got part of the experience without the big time commitment, win-win!

Rainbow eucalyptus treesI liked how fluffy the tops of the bamboo trees looked.The trail between the bamboo trees.Bamboo up close. #pandafoodAll wet because I had just jumped from a high rock into a small (but deep) pond next to a waterfall. Terrifying and fun! An experience I’ll never forget.

I adored Maui! I’m so grateful to my husband for planning this awesome trip to celebrate our 10th anniversary and to God for giving us each other and the opportunity to travel.

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Hi! I’m so glad you’re here. My name is Adrienne, but friends call me Adri or A. I write about topics like my Catholic faith, being a wife to the best husband ever, crafting, baking, marketing, and a bunch of other -ings I can’t think of right now.